What Are the Duties & Roles of a Title Company?
by Phil M. Fowler
Title companies handle a lot of paperwork related to real estate.
Title companies play several key roles in common real estate transactions. Title companies generally act as the combined agent of the insurance company, the buyer, the seller, and any other parties related to a real estate transaction, such as mortgage lenders. The title company reviews title, issues insurance policies, facilitates closings, and files and records paperwork.
Title Review
Title companies have sophisticated real estate title search and review departments. These departments review the public records relating to real estate, in order to inform all interested parties of the status and condition of title to the subject property. Title companies generally provide this information to each of the parties in the form of a preliminary title report, or commitment for title insurance. Title companies also provide title research information related to foreclosures and other types of legal action involving real property.
Closing Agent
Title companies are often the closing agents for real estate transactions. This means the title company is an agent of each party to the transaction. In its role as agent, the title company obtains signatures on all of the closing documents, and the title company also receives and distributes payments related to the conveyance transaction. After the parties have signed all the documents, the title company will record documents that need to be recorded, such as deeds and mortgages, in the local county land records office.
Escrow Officer
Title companies also commonly act as escrow officers in connection with real estate transactions. An escrow officer holds documents or money as a part of the transaction and according to the instructions of the parties. For example, the purchaser of real estate will give the title company the money necessary to pay the purchase price, while the seller will give the title company a signed deed to the property. The title company, acting as escrow officer, only releases the deed and the money according to the written instructions of the buyer and seller.
Insurance Issuer
Title companies issue policies of title insurance in behalf of title insurance companies. In most cases, the title company that issues the policy is not actually the insurance company. Instead, the title company acts as an independent agent of the insurance company and simply receives a commission for issuing the title policy. The actual premium goes to the insurance company, and the insurance company bears the risk of any loss under the policy. Title company merely facilitate the paperwork for issuing the insurance policy.